


Nightmare Realm

by joshuaorrizonte, queerplantbaby



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Marriage Proposal, Nightmares, Other, angsty asra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 21:41:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20571350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshuaorrizonte/pseuds/joshuaorrizonte, https://archiveofourown.org/users/queerplantbaby/pseuds/queerplantbaby
Summary: The Apprentice has a very important question for Asra, but they're afraid of Asra's reaction. Their solution? To ask the Magician how to pop the question. But the apprentice isn't quite sure what they're doing when they move to traverse the magical realms alone, and end up somewhere they absolutely do not want to be...





	Nightmare Realm

They took a deep, steadying breath. They’d never done this alone before; Asra had always been there with them when they traversed the magical realms, been there to guide them to and from. It made them nervous. 

But the fact of the matter was that they needed advice, and needed it badly. They felt the ring in their pocket, and pulled their hand away. They planned to give that ring to Asra, but- what if he rejected it? What if he rejected _ them? _ They needed to know how to do this, if it was even a smart idea. The one being who knew Asra best was the Magician.

The Magician would likely not give them a straight answer, they knew. In all the times they’d conversed with the being, they’d not once been truly forthright with them. But, they thought wryly, the Magician would easily keep this a secret. Their other choice for this advice, Julian… He was liable to gossip to everyone who would listen, and it _ would _ get back to Asra. 

If the Magician was as useless about this as they suspected they would be, they could always resort to Julian anyway. But if not… they could imagine that the being would have pretty good advice for them, if they could stop talking in riddles for once. 

Even though he was their second choice of confidant, Julian seemed to be the best option to watch their body while they traveled to the magical realms. He never was keen on asking too many questions about their magical affairs. After all, the trip should wouldn’t last more than an hour at the maximum, and they had been to the Magician’s realm before. 

They picked a night that Asra would be out late visiting the palace to enact their plans. Nervously, they approached Julian’s clinic after dark, questions for the Magician swirling around in their head. Just as they were about to knock, Julian opened the door, startling them both. 

“Oh, erm, fancy seeing you here. Do you need help?” 

“A-actually yes, I was wondering if you could help me with something, a magic thing.” 

“A, m-magic thing?” Julian squinted down at them slightly. “You don’t need me to, er, do magic, right?” 

“No, just to watch over my body for an hour or so, you see I-” Julian cut them off with a wave of his hand. 

“I don’t want to know.”

They smiled at that. Some things remained constant in this world, and Julian’s reticence about magic was one of them. “So then you’ll do it?”

“As long as, erm, as long as watching you is all you need-” He cut himself off. “You’re not, uh, not doing anything _ dangerous _, are you?”

“No, not at all. Still, it’s not a good idea to do this without someone watching over you.”

“Alright, I can watch you. For about an hour, you said?” At their nod, Julian moved aside to let them into the clinic. “Just, ah, just curious, but why can’t Asra do this?”

They sighed. “I’d rather not go into it if I don’t have to. Suffice it to say that Asra would ask too many questions and you won’t.”

For a moment, Julian looked almost like he was going to refuse. But instead, he brought them to his office. “Here. You’ll have privacy to do what you have to here. I’ll be right here.”

They thanked him as he ducked back out of the office to wait just outside. Laying down, they took a few deep breaths. They closed their eyes, focusing on nothing but the darkness and their own rhythmic breathing. Realizing a moment too late that it was a bad idea to have done this without setting up their personal gate, they started to fall. A vast expanse of infinite starry sky was all around them, bright flashes of light appeared and disappeared just as quickly. 

As they fell through the infinite, beautiful, darkness, they reached out their magic for the familiar feeling of the Magician’s realm. Finally they latched on to it, trying desperately to bring themselves closer to their intended realm. Without warning a sudden wind knocked them back, engulfing them in oppressive darkness. 

There were no stars and when they reached out with their magic, they felt nothing. The air around them felt heavy and warm with a metallic smell. The dark realization dawned on them that they have felt this before, it was too familiar. They landed unceremoniously with a loud, painful thud and opened their eyes. It was the Devil’s realm. 

They scrambled hastily to their feet, looking around wildly, heart thudding in their chest as they looked up into the Devil’s cold, stone visage. Fighting down panic, they envisioned Asra’s voice in their mind, calming, soothing, walking them through a breathing exercise to calm down. As the panic settled, their mind went over the situation they were in. They weren’t in any danger here, but- but how were they to get out?

Focusing their magic, they closed their eyes and stretched their magic out, searching for the way out. Getting here had been easy; getting out should be just as easy. As they relaxed, their confidence grew, until they began to feel their surroundings fall away again-

-and they fell to their knees as their magic lashed back at them, snapping them back into focus with a sharp yell. They opened their eyes and stared around, fear beginning to take root in their chest again. They couldn’t get out.

Fighting back terror, feeling incredibly small and powerless, they sank back to the floor and pulled their knees up to their chest. What were they supposed to do now?

* * *

Julian watched them with mounting concern. They had said it would take about an hour. It had been nearly two, and they showed no signs of waking up. He reached for their throat, then stopped short. He meant only to check their pulse, but they were doing something magical now. Would he hurt them if he touched them now? Would he end up drawing himself into whatever was going on?

He didn’t know what he was supposed to do, but he knew one thing: they were in trouble. He was absolutely sure of it. And Julian would be able to do nothing for them. 

But Asra would.

Julian rose and left them, moving quickly. He didn’t want to leave them there, but he also didn’t know if Asra would think to stop by his clinic if their presence was missed by then. Whispering a prayer that Asra was back from his excursion to the palace, Julian jogged through the streets of Vesuvia towards the shop, urgency in his step.

Arriving, he furiously banged on the door until it opened. 

“Ilya, what are you doing here?” 

“Asra! I, um, it’s a long story. I need you to come with me to my clinic right now. I-I can explain on the way.” Asra looked at Julian in confusion, but gathered up Faust and followed Julian out of the shop. While they walked, Julian explained that they had come to him and asked him to watch their body for an hour, and that it had been much longer than that. 

“And you just left them there?!” A flash of concern passed across Asra’s face, quickly turning to a sheepish look. “Right...you had to come get me.” When they got to the clinic, Asra rushed in to the office where they were laying. 

“How long did they say they were going to be gone?” 

“An hour. It’s been over two...nearly three by now.” Neither Julian nor Asra were able to mask the mounting fear in their voices. 

“Did they say where they were going?” Julian thought back with embarrassment about how he cut them off. 

“No, they didn’t.” Asra furrowed his brow, sighing heavily. 

“I know its asking a lot of you, but could you stay and watch both of our bodies while I go look for them?” 

“Of course, whatever you need from me.” Asra cringed slightly at a distant bad memory, quickly letting the moment pass. 

He laid down on the floor and took several long deep breaths. When he opened his eyes, he was standing in his oasis, surrounded by the swirling colors and sounds that he was so accustomed to. They had both gone to the magician’s realm together; to Asra, that seemed like the best place to start. 

Asra stepped into the pool that would take him to the Magician’s realm, trying to calm his racing heart. He forced himself not to think about what could be wrong- the magical realms were dangerous, even moreso when one wasn’t sure of what they were doing. He didn’t know what possessed them to try to do this alone, but that could be dealt with once he found them and got them to safety. 

He stepped out of the surf of the Magician’s realm and walked up the beach to the ripple in the air. He stepped through, calling out softly, “Magician? Are you here?”

The Magician shimmered into being in front of him. They were standing in what looked like Julian’s clinic office; Asra half-expected to see them with the Magician, but they were not. “Asra. This is unexpected. You seem distressed. What’s going on?”

Quickly, Asra told the Magician everything he knew- which wasn’t much. The Magician’s expression darkened as he spoke. “That _ is _ a problem. I can tell you that they aren’t here.”

“Can you help me find them?”

They shook their head. “You’re more than capable of finding them, Asra.” Asra frowned; this wasn’t the time to talk in riddles! The Magician noticed his increasing agitation and said, “Think of where in the realms they have some kind of attachment to. If they aren’t in your oasis, and they aren’t here, where else have they gone in the realms in the past?”

Asra raked his mind over the question. “They’ve been to my parents’ gate, and- and the Devil’s realm.”

“That’s a starting point. That’s more than I know, in any event. Good luck, Asra. I hope you find them.” With that, their surroundings melted away, and the Magician shimmered out of existence.

Asra collapsed on the beach, trying to convince himself that they couldn’t be back in the Devil’s realm. Why would they go there, of all places, alone, without telling anyone why? The thoughts swirled in his head and in a deep pit in his stomach. He was scared. 

Asra reached out with his magic, searching for a way to the Devil’s realm. He felt nothing, no pull to their magic and no direction to the realm. Suddenly, he heard a familiar barking sound from behind him. 

“Scout!” Asra was happy to see them after all this time. 

“Arf!” They wagged their tail happily for a moment, before a solemn look passed over their face. 

“You know they’re lost, huh?” 

“Arruff!” They shook their head, catching Asra by surprise. 

“They’re not lost? But that means they might be….” Asra’s voice trailed off as he cast his gaze to the ground. “Are they in the Devil’s realm?” Scout’s eyes perked up.

“Arowr.” They nodded their head solemnly, and tugged on Asra’s sleeve, pointing off into the distance. 

“Can you take me to them?” Scout nodded and wagged their tail. “Thank you, Scout, I knew I could count on you.” Asra smiled despite himself, and followed Scout’s lead away from the shore. 

Asra followed Scout up the beach and into the woods beyond. At first, he was relaxed- as relaxed as he could be, knowing his lover was alone somewhere in the Devil’s realm for an unknown reason. But as the woods began to fall away to scorched earth, the fear he had suffered the first time he’d come to the Devil’s realm took root in his chest, threatening to strangle him. He’d beaten back that fear back then, and it was easier to beat it back now, knowing that the Devil was powerless to hurt him now, but it was still there.

Asra put his head down and kept walking, following Scout until they finally led him to a set of tall, forbidding iron gates. Heat rolled out from behind the gates as Scout came to a stop before them and turned back to face Asra. “They’re in here?” Asra asked quietly. 

“Aruff!”

“I’m taking that as a yes,” he muttered, looking up at the gates and fighting back dread. “Are you coming with, or do I- do I need to go in there alone?”

Asra heard a faint whimper, but when he turned around, Scout was nowhere to be seen. 

“I guess alone it is, then.” Asra faced the gate, steeling himself for what was ahead. The metal was searing hot against his flesh as he pushed the doors open. 

He walked out onto the beach of the Lazaret. Why was he at the Lazaret? Where was his apprentice? He called out their name but it echoed back to him in vain. He called out their name again and again until he was hoarse but the wind whipped ash and sand into his face until it bled in cruel response. How did he get here? Asra dropped down to his knees and screamed and dug his hands into the sand. Who’s skull is this? He knew who’s skull it was. The wind was louder and louder in his ears until it was a deafening roar that sounded like their voice screaming out in agony. He left them alone, they died alone, they burned alone. He remembers now. They died alone and it was his fault that he left, he gave up half his heart to the Devil -- The Devil. 

Asra remembered where he was, he was looking for them, they were trapped here, in the Devil’s realm. He had to find them, he had to save them; he couldn’t lose them again. He stood up and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the screaming wind or the way the course sand stung his skin. Taking a few deep breaths, he opened his eyes again and the Lazaret was gone. 

He took another deep, shuddering breath. The Devil was bound but the realm was still treacherous. He had to be careful; he had nearly lost himself. His heart constricted painfully as he thought about the terror his apprentice was feeling right now, and started walking, stretching his magic out through the place. He could sense them now, and tried to reach out to them, telling them he was coming, to just hang on. 

The response he got was garbled and frantic, and Asra had to shut them out to stay focused. He came to the elevators, all hot iron and eerie red light, and swallowed hard, trying to remember which one had been the correct one. It seemed so long ago; and those memories were hazy, suppressed to stop the nightmares that followed their battle. Taking a deep breath, Asra entered one of the elevators.

He stepped out into the living space above the shop. He looked around, stunned. Everything looked to be as it should’ve been. Had- had he dreamed this whole thing? His apprentice slept peacefully on the bed, and Asra approached quietly, sitting on the edge of it carefully, hoping to avoid disturbing them. He reached out and smoothed a hand over their hair, memory of the horrible nightmare fading from his mind. It was just an anxiety dream. That was all it was.

Much to Asra’s surprise, they stirred from their sleep. That was strange; they were usually a deep sleeper. It usually took much more than that to rouse them. His stomach twisted in horror as their raised their head and opened their eyes, the whites of their eyes completely red. 

Asra whimpered and backed himself up against the wall. No, no they couldn’t be dying, they couldn’t be. They sat up with a start and pointed a finger directly at him. 

“You did this.” Their voice was distorted and strained. “You could have stopped this but you didn’t. This is your fault. I’m dead and there is nothing you can do now. This blood is on your hands, Asra. How much more blood before you drown?” 

Asra screamed and fell to his knees but it echoed back to him as a bone chilling laugh. He desperately tried to run out the door, only to end up back in the shop. Their eyes were bleeding as they screamed in agony. How much blood was on his hands? He didn’t want to know, but deep down he knew. He pressed himself up against a different wall and felt a searing pain on his back. 

He was in the Devil’s realm, he remembered now. He turned around and shoved hard on the hot metal, stumbling back into the hallway full of elevators. Asra cried. His tears were hot and stung more than the metal of the doors. He was so lost and alone, wondering if he would ever be able to find them in this realm of nightmares. He cried out their name at the top of his lungs in agony.

_ Asra… _

Abruptly, Asra’s tears shocked to silence and he stood absolutely still, listening. That was their apprentice’s voice. It was a mere whisper, distant and hollow, but- but it was them. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he was absolutely sure of it. He raised his voice, calling them again.

This time, the answering call was stronger, with frantic notes in it. “Keep yelling!” Asra shouted into the darkness, closing his eyes, trying to tell where the voice was coming from. It seemed to come from all around him. Breathing deeply, his hands fluttered to the mark over his heart, pouring his magic out into his surroundings, searching-

_ -there. _

Asra’s eyes flew open, and he ran down the hallway to one of the elevators, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste. The metal was hot, nearly scorching as he yanked the door open and squeezed into it, heart racing as the elevator descended. 

The doors clanged open and he stepped out into the Devil’s throne room, eyes frantically scanning the room. There, standing before the statue of the Devil, was his apprentice. Their name fell from his lips as he ran to them, sweeping them up in his arms. “You came for me,” they said in a broken whisper, burying their face in his shoulder.

“I would never leave you. Never.” Asra’s voice broke and tears freely flowed down his cheek as he held them. “I will always find you,” he said, hovering one hand over their heart. They held onto him tightly as they turned to face the looming marble presence before them. 

His eyes warily appraised the statue. The Devil was still made of stone and still no longer a threat to them. That didn’t stop Asra from feeling the same bone chilling feeling that the apprentice had felt when he looked into it’s cold, stone eyes. There was a distinct flicker of malice eternally etched on its face. Physically trying to shake off the feeling, Asra tried his best to muster up a comforting smile. 

“Are you ready to get out of here?” They nodded vigorously, still clinging to Asra as if their life depended on it. Asra put his arm around their shoulder and led them back to the elevator, leading them out of the throne room. 

“Do you know what happened? Why...you couldn’t leave?” Asra had a much more serious and worried look on his face as he turned to face them. 

“I- I don’t know. I just panicked and my magic kept lashing back at me. The more scared I got the harder it bounced back… I’m so sorry Asra. I shouldn’t...I shouldn’t have gone to the realms alone.” 

“That leads nicely into my second question- _ why? _ Why would you come here?”

“I was _ trying _ to get to the Magician’s realm,” they muttered. “I… I wanted to ask their advice on something.”

“Oh?” Now Asra was curious. “What was that?”

Their face colored and they looked away. “It was- it was about you. I- Asra, you- we-“ Asra waited patiently for them to find their words, and managed to suppress his nervousness when they said, “I can just show you when we get out of here.”

“Don’t need to ask the Magician advice anymore?”

They shook their head. “No. No, if you’d follow me here, then I know- I know what I need to know.”

Asra kept his eyes on their profile, unable to hide his worry any longer. “What is this about? Did I do something to upset you?”

They laughed. “No. I- ah- it’s really best if I just show you when we get back.”

“Well, now I’m curious.” But the tension melted from his voice at that reassurance, and he focused on guiding them out of the realm.

The desolate land around them shifted seamlessly to the vibrant colors of Asra’s gate, and they walked hand-in-hand to one of the pools of water. “Ready to go home?” Asra asked, and at their answering nod, the two stepped into the pool together. 

When Asra opened his eyes again, it was to Julian’s worried face, hovering above him. “Oh thank goodness,” Julian breathed. “I was starting to get worried. I didn’t know what I’d do with _ two _ unconscious magicians in my clinic.”

“It took me a while to find them,” Asra replied, sitting up and looking over at his apprentice, worrying his lip. But they began to stir, and they opened their eyes in the next second. Asra helped them sit up, and then said, “Alright, what did you want to show me?”

They pinched the bridge of their nose, slowly getting their bearings. Looking around, they realized they were back in the clinic, Asra’s face inches from theirs, alight with curiosity. 

“You’re relentless, you know.” They mustered a smile while subtly feeling around in their pocket. Asra closed his eyes and threw back his head in laughter. 

“Is that any way to--” He abruptly cut himself off when he opened his eyes. They had produced a small golden ring, engraved with their names, from their pocket and was holding it out to him. Asra was speechless and his eyes were wide in surprise. 

“I wanted to know how I should ask you to marry me. But...I think this is fitting in its own way.” They got up, making a big show of bending down on one knee so they were eye level with still-stunned-and-sitting Asra. 

“Asra, Will--” He jumped up and spun them around before they could even finish their sentence. 

“Yes! Yes, yes...I will.” He peppered their face with small kisses. By the time he set them down he was smiling so brightly it could light up even the dim clinic office. He still had them wrapped up in their arms when they gently cleared their throat and tried to hold up the ring. He sheepishly grinned and relaxed his arms. 

They beamed at him and slipped the ring onto his finger. Julian’s voice interrupted from the back of the shop. 

“Ohoho, look at that! Congratulations you two.” He was smiling and walked over to bring them both into a hug. His nose crinkled slightly. “Why didn’t you think you could tell me what you were up to?” 

“No offense, Julian “I’m going to confess to a murder I didn’t commit to the Countess of Vesuvia” Devorak, but I wanted it kept a secret.” Julian turned bright red at their words. 

“Not going to let me live that down, hm?” 

“Never.” They both answered in unison. 


End file.
